EDMONTON 乌鸦传媒� It was a fitting tribute to one of the best players ever to wear a Canada hockey sweater.
Hayley Wickenheiser, who led Canada to four Winter Olympic gold medals and a silver during her distinguished career, was honoured during a special pre-game ceremony prior to puck drop between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers at Roger Place on Saturday.
The 38-year-old from Shaunavon, Sask., who announced her retirement from hockey on Friday, has lived in Calgary since she was 12 but has been a life-long Oilers fan, making the game between the two Alberta-based rivals the ideal place for a tribute in her eyes.
乌鸦传媒淚 want to thank the Oilers organization for allowing me this moment to say goodbye to Canadians as a hockey player,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淚 grew up idolizing the Oilers and it seems fitting that I would say goodbye here 乌鸦传媒� at an Edmonton versus Calgary game 芒鈧谘淮綕 representing the two cities that have given so much to my career.乌鸦传媒�
Among those joining Wickenheiser on the ice during the ceremony were Oilers legend Wayne Gretzky, former Team Canada coach Danielle Goyette, Wickenheiser乌鸦传媒檚 first hockey coach Wally Kozak, parents Tom and Marilyn, and son, Noah.
乌鸦传媒淭his is so special,乌鸦传媒� Gretzky said. 乌鸦传媒淵ou have touched so many lives, including so many young girls who may one day go on to win gold medals of their own.
乌鸦传媒淵ou played with heart, desire, finesse, speed, skill, and the greatest player who ever lived, I think he would be happy if I called you the female Gordie Howe.乌鸦传媒�
A video tribute included messages from Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, Wickenheiser乌鸦传媒檚 childhood hero Mark Messier and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who referred to her as a 乌鸦传媒渓eader, champion and a trailblazer.乌鸦传媒�
Oiler captain Connor McDavid and Flames captain Mark Giordano each presented Wickenheiser with framed jerseys from their respective teams with her name stitched on the back.
Wickenheiser, who also played men乌鸦传媒檚 hockey in Europe during her 23-year career, was also joined on the ice by several young female hockey players, who she said she was glad to pass the torch to.
乌鸦传媒淭o all the girls behind me, this is the beginning of your story,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淭he only thing I can ask is that you leave the game in a better place than where you found it.
乌鸦传媒淭o the fans, thank you for the support of the women乌鸦传媒檚 national team and the women乌鸦传媒檚 game. To everybody across Canada, thanks for cheering for us. It was the greatest honour of my life to play for Canada. I乌鸦传媒檒l never forget it.乌鸦传媒�
Named MVP of the 2002 and 2006 Olympic women乌鸦传媒檚 hockey tournaments, Wickenheiser recorded 379 career points for Canada 芒鈧谘淮綕 168 goals and 211 assists in 276 games.
In addition to winning five medals for Canada in hockey, Wickenheiser also played for the Canadian softball team at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Wickenheiser blazed the trail
When Hayley Wickenheiser sees girls dragging hockey bags into arenas, she feels a sense of accomplishment.
The normalcy of girls playing hockey is what she sweated for, fought for, and shed tears for.
When Wickenheiser started playing 33 years ago, there were no girls乌鸦传媒� teams. She played with boys and wasn乌鸦传媒檛 always welcomed by players or their parents.
乌鸦传媒淭he greatest stride乌鸦传媒檚 been made in the acceptance of girls playing the game,乌鸦传媒� says Wickenheiser. 乌鸦传媒淎ny little girl in this country can walk into a hockey rink and no one is going to think twice or look twice. There乌鸦传媒檚 female hockey change rooms in a lot of rinks now.
乌鸦传媒淚 remember when I was a kid, I hid in the bathroom and tucked my hair up so no one would know I was a girl. I just went through hell really, to play. Girls don乌鸦传媒檛 have to go through hell anymore to play hockey.乌鸦传媒�
The fact that female hockey has arrived at this stage puts some soothing balm on the difficult decision to end her playing career.
The country乌鸦传媒檚 all-time leading scorer announced her retirement Friday after 23 years on the Canadian women乌鸦传媒檚 team and almost a dozen Olympic and world championship gold medals.
乌鸦传媒淒ear Canada. It has been the great honour of my life to play for you. Time to hang em up!! Thank you!乌鸦传媒� Wickenheiser posted on her Twitter account.
Not only was Wickenheiser a star in women乌鸦传媒檚 hockey when the game desperately needed one, she changed perceptions of what women are capable of in sport.
The 38-year-old from Shaunavon, Sask., told The Canadian Press in a sometimes tearful interview she didn乌鸦传媒檛 want to postpone her entrance into medical school any longer.
乌鸦传媒淚t has been the greatest honour of my life to play for Canada,乌鸦传媒� Wickenheiser said. 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檒l miss it.乌鸦传媒�
The number of registered female players in Canada went from 16,000 in her first year on the national team to almost 87,000 today.
Bob Nicholson, who was Hockey Canada乌鸦传媒檚 president and chief executive officer during most of Wickenheiser乌鸦传媒檚 career, said she played a big role in giving 乌鸦传媒済irls the dreams that boys had.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淗er record speaks for itself winning so many gold medals, but in years to come, the biggest memory will be how she inspired so many girls to play the game,乌鸦传媒� said Nicholson, now CEO of Oilers Entertainment Group. 乌鸦传媒淪he always was harder on herself than any of her teammates and pushed herself to excellence.乌鸦传媒�
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent out a congratulatory tweet to Wickenheiser on Friday night.
乌鸦传媒淵ou乌鸦传媒檝e inspired a generation of hockey players to play hard and dream big. Congrats on an incredible career,乌鸦传媒� the tweet read.
Wickenheiser乌鸦传媒檚 forays into men乌鸦传媒檚 professional hockey in Finland and Sweden set new standards on how much a woman can be pushed physically. She played a combined 65 men乌鸦传媒檚 pro games in Europe.
Her decision to play with and against men wasn乌鸦传媒檛 unanimously supported at home. Some female teammates believed she should stay in Canada and help grow women乌鸦传媒檚 leagues here.
But Wickenheiser made choices she felt would make her a better player, which meant leaving her comfort zones.
She trained in her off-seasons with NHL players, making headlines skating in Philadelphia Flyers rookie camps when she was in her early 20s.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 comfortable being uncomfortable,乌鸦传媒� Wickenheiser said.
Danielle Goyette said Wickenheiser was a driven woman when they were linemates on the national team and when Goyette coached her at the University of Calgary.
乌鸦传媒淪he乌鸦传媒檚 the kind of athlete that never took 乌鸦传媒榥o乌鸦传媒� for an answer,乌鸦传媒� Goyette said. 乌鸦传媒淲hat I mean by that is she wants to push the limits of women乌鸦传媒檚 hockey.
乌鸦传媒淪he didn乌鸦传媒檛 have to (train) with guys, but she always tried to train with somebody stronger than her to make sure that she乌鸦传媒檚 pushing herself to the max.
乌鸦传媒淪he went to Europe and played hockey with the men, full-body contact. I don乌鸦传媒檛 know a lot of girls who would put themselves through that.乌鸦传媒�
Hockey isn乌鸦传媒檛 done with Wickenheiser. There will be opportunities for her to work in the game. She said she乌鸦传媒檚 had discussions with people in the NHL, but there are no concrete plans yet.
乌鸦传媒淚 have to see how that all fits in with where I乌鸦传媒檓 going in medicine and the rest of my life,乌鸦传媒� Wickenheiser said.
She was an Oilers fan idolizing Mark Messier as a young girl. Wickenheiser, who has lived in Calgary since she was 12, will be honoured in a pre-game ceremony Saturday in Edmonton before the Oilers host the Calgary Flames.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a celebration and of course it乌鸦传媒檚 really emotional,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 sad in some ways because you乌鸦传媒檙e leaving a part of your life behind, but it乌鸦传媒檚 also exciting in other ways.
乌鸦传媒淭here are other things I乌鸦传媒檝e wanted to do for a long time. I have other opportunities within the game and in medicine to pursue. I just didn乌鸦传媒檛 want to wait to do that.乌鸦传媒�
But there have been sleepless nights coming to that conclusion.
Just six months ago, Wickenheiser said she wanted to wear the Maple Leaf at a sixth Winter Games in 2018 and pursue a fifth gold medal. It would have been Wickenheiser乌鸦传媒檚 seventh Olympic Games as she also played softball for Canada in 2000.
乌鸦传媒淚t would have been great to play in one more,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淭he more I thought about it, it would have been too long to wait.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a tough decision, but it乌鸦传媒檚 going to be the right one.乌鸦传媒�
The Canadian Olympic Committee recognized her accomplishments as a two-sport athlete in a statement on Saturday morning.
乌鸦传媒淗ayley is one of the most accomplished and inspiring athletes in our country乌鸦传媒檚 history competing in both the Winter Games in hockey and Summer Games in softball,乌鸦传媒� said COC president Tricia Smith. 乌鸦传媒淪he has competed for Canada with grit and passion to become our country乌鸦传媒檚 all-time lead female scorer in hockey and a four-time Olympic Champion.
乌鸦传媒淲hile she is mostly celebrated for her vast accomplishments on the ice, she is also recognized as a great role model and a true leader in sport.乌鸦传媒�
Wickenheiser underwent surgery in 2015 to have a plate and eight screws inserted in her left foot.
Her playing minutes reduced in her 13th world championship last year in Kamloops, B.C., she still drew the loudest cheers during player introductions.
Her body of work in hockey is broad, deep and unique.
A five-foot-10, 171-pound forward with a heavy shot and creative hands, No. 22 was the dominant female player in the world in this century乌鸦传媒檚 first decade.
Named MVP of the 2002 and 2006 Olympic women乌鸦传媒檚 hockey tournaments, Wickenheiser乌鸦传媒檚 379 career points for Canada 乌鸦传媒� 168 goals and 211 assists in 276 games 乌鸦传媒� will be difficult to match.
The active player with most points is Meghan Agosta at 155 in 155 games.
Wickenheiser is one of just five athletes in the world 乌鸦传媒� joined by retired teammates Jayna Hefford and Caroline Ouellette 乌鸦传媒� to win gold at four consecutive Winter Games.
Wickenheiser intends to continue getting girls into hockey. She乌鸦传媒檚 now committing through her annual international female hockey festival Wickfest to fund 22 girls who otherwise couldn乌鸦传媒檛 afford to play.
Wickenheiser is confident there will be a women乌鸦传媒檚 pro hockey league some day, with the NHL乌鸦传媒檚 help.
She乌鸦传媒檚 been a mom since 2001 when she adopted the infant son of her then-partner Tomas Pacina. Wickenheiser continued to co-parent Noah, now in high school, after the relationship ended.
Hockey is precious in Canada so Wickenheiser乌鸦传媒檚 message to the next generation is to take care of it.
乌鸦传媒淒on乌鸦传媒檛 ask 乌鸦传媒榃hat can I get out of the game?乌鸦传媒� Ask 乌鸦传媒榃hat can I give to the game?乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕 she said. 乌鸦传媒淭ake everything you can from the game and give everything you can back to it and it will reward you well.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒� Donna Spencer & Shane Jones , The Canadian Press
